How does the WHO Foundation ensure WHO’s independence from donor influence?

The WHO Foundation is  an independent Swiss non-profit, set up to bring new private and philanthropic support to WHO. To make sure that donor support contributes the goal of advancing public health and poses no conflict of interest, we follow a strict Gift Acceptance Policy. Every potential donor goes through a thorough review process. Our Gift Acceptance Policy aligns with  principles of WHO’s Framework for Engagement with Non-State Actors (FENSA), so that every gift we accept supports WHO’s public health mission while maintaining WHO’s independence. 

Donations to the WHO Foundation have no bearing on WHO’s policy-making, which remains solely under WHO’s mandate and governance.

WHO’s policies and priorities are set by WHO and its Member States, and are not influenced by non-Member State donors to WHO or to the WHO Foundation. Donations must support the activities of WHO’s General Program of Work and contribute to public health goals. 

Our role is to advocate for financing global public health, broker relationships with donors, raise funds for global health, transfer them to WHO and report on their impact. 

WHO is transparent about its contributions from Member States and non-government supporters, including companies (see https://open.who.int/). Currently, contributions from companies, philanthropies, and individuals who give through the WHO Foundation make up less than 0.5% of WHO’s overall annual budget.

How does the WHO Foundation vet donors?

All prospective donors undergo a donor compliance process which includes desktop research and an external due diligence report that provides information about the donors’ activities and potential conflicts of interest and reputational risks. This process is detailed in our Gift Acceptance Policy. Gifts above defined thresholds go to a Gift Acceptance Committee for review to provide additional oversight. A donation is only accepted once these reviews have been completed.

We never accept money from the arms or tobacco industries, consistent with the industry exclusions of WHO’s FENSA, or from anyone under UN sanctions or any party subject to sanctions in a relevant jurisdiction. 

How does the WHO Foundation stay transparent?

We believe trust depends on openness. We:

• Publish our annual reports every year on our website
• Publish audited financial statements every year on our website
• Share donor contributions (including source, amount, and use) publicly

Do donors seek or have more influence on WHO through the WHO Foundation?

No. While the WHO Foundation collaborates closely with WHO program and technical teams on various prospects and opportunities, contributions to the WHO Foundation imply a legal relationship between the WHO Foundation and the donor. The donor to WHO is then the WHO Foundation, which can pool funds from multiple donors to the WHO Foundation. The WHO Foundation communicates each grant award to WHO via a grant allocation letter and process which specify the intended use of funds. 

What is the WHO Foundation’s policy on anonymous donations?

Our policy is to name contributors for gifts over $100,000. In exceptional cases and only in line with our Gift Acceptance Policy, anonymity may be permitted. 

Consistent with data protection regulations, including GDPR, we request permission from donors to disclose their information publicly. Some donors request privacy from public disclosure and have no interaction (or influence) with WHO; even in these instances, the same due diligence process applied and the source of funds is known to the WHO Foundation.

Why not publish every donor’s name?

Some donors prefer not to be publicly named for discretion, privacy, safety, or other practical reasons. This is common practice in fundraising. But no gift or donor is ever unknown to the WHO Foundation.

How much funding has the WHO Foundation given to WHO?

In the first three years of the WHO Foundation’s operations, 2021-2023, contributions to the WHO Foundation totaled $83 million. More than half of that amount was for WHO and its mission. This includes direct support to WHO, particularly its emergency responses to Covid-19, Ukraine, and natural disasters, and to COVAX. The remainder was for the operations of the WHO Foundation for four years (as funds received in 2023 included support for the next year).

Beginning in 2024, the WHO Foundation adjusted its focus, in response to WHO’s Investment Round, to mobilizing multi-year commitments to WHO, implying that the funds “raised” in a year will not correspond to funds contributed in a single year. In 2024, the WHO Foundation mobilized around $50 million for WHO (in the form of letters of intent or agreements). In 2025, we set a target to mobilize an additional $60 million for WHO (again, in multi-year commitments).

Why is there a difference between your tables of funds received in a particular year and your published annual, audited statements?

There is a difference in the figures in our annual report, the contribution tables and our audited financial statements. Within the Foundation, we categorize funds in three ways: 

• Funds raised in a given year which includes firm pledges from donors and which may be for one year or several (future) years (as has been the focus of our work from 2024)
• Funds received by the WHO Foundation in that financial year
• Funds transferred to grantees, mainly WHO

The annual report details funds raised in a given year which may include a number of multi-year pledges or contributions.  

Contribution tables show total funds received by the WHO Foundation in a given year (total grant amount received).

Annual audited accounts show income received for programs in a given year; the “donation received” less indirect costs. Overheads are shown as WHO Foundation income (in a separate P&L line) once funds are transferred to grantees, which may not be in the same year. In addition,  the contribution tables detail income in US dollars, whereas the annual audited accounts detail income in Swiss Francs.

Why does the Foundation take overheads on gifts?

Taking a share of funds for indirect costs is normal practice. It helps cover the real costs of fundraising and helps to keep the WHO Foundation sustainable for the long-term. We have agreed with WHO on a practice by which we do not have duplicative overheads (i.e., an overhead for the WHO Foundation in addition to WHO’s Programme Support Costs), but instead apply a single, shared indirect rate on all funds mobilized.

Contact Information

We welcome any inquiries about our gift acceptance process. Contact us here.

For media inquiries, please contact WHO at mediainquiries@who.int